Funny money has Phillip seeing red

PHILLIP Turner calls it the dearest bottle of milk and bar of chocolate he's ever bought.

Last week Mr Turner, of Leichhardt, went to a nearby fuel station with a $50 bill to buy some necessities of life and as part of his change was given a $20 note defaced on both sides.

On one side it says: 'Suck it. Now you can't buy anything.' On the other it says: 'Happy birthday.'

No business will accept it and the bank won't change it.

"I bought two litres of milk and a bar of chocolate. I handed over a $50 note and got two twenties back and some loose change," Mr Turner said.

"The next morning I went to spend it in town and was told: 'We can't accept that. It is all written on.' Then I went back to the garage where they gave it to me and I was told that they wouldn't accept it because it had been written on.

"I came back to the garage the following night and the manager said to take it to the bank and change it over...I went to the bank and they said it was disfigured and they couldn't change it...and they'd have to send it to the RBA and they may say its worth less than $20. I pulled into the police station and they said that the garage didn't break any law by giving me phoney money. But I am lumbered with this note that nobody wants and I can't spend it.

"So it has cost me $29 for two litres of milk and a chocolate bar. I'm stuck with $20 that may as well be monopoly money."